Gender Roles
My aim is to focus on the topic of gender roles in the context of The New Objectivity movement in the Weimar Republic era in Germany. Many of the most well known works of art of this genre portray a sense of anxiety in relation to the metropolis and particularly the role of the female. I will explore the portrayal of women from the perspective of both male and female artists of the era through the works of Otto Dix, Christian Schad, Jeanne Mammen, and Kate Diehn-Bitt.
The term ‘New Objectivity’ or ‘Neue Sachlichkeit’ was a term that originated by Gustav Hartlaub in an effort to compose an exhibition of art of representative works that were neither expressionistic nor abstract in nature. This new mode of representation reflected the post World War One realities of a new German society that was affected by political revolution, mass deaths, social change, poverty, and financial instability.[1]
Post-war Germany had to cope with the devastating loss of many of its men and with the horrors of the wounded and disabled veterans who did return. The identity of the German male was shaken and misplaced. Simultaneously women were thrust into new roles as financial providers and were becoming more prominent in public realms. The traditional social roles of women were being challenged as women became less confined to the role of mother, and sought greater equality to their male counterpart. This more independent woman would come to define a new generation in the Weimar years as ‘The New Woman’ or ‘Neue Frau’. The ‘New Woman’ was typified as a white-collar worker who enjoyed her new financial and sexual freedom and would engage in the spectacles of the metropolis and its wide variety of entertainment and nightlife. The new woman also became a symbol for cultural consumerism and was dominant in advertising campaigns, and almost all forms of popular media.[2] Jeanne Mammen was an artist who in addition to her personal work, created images for popular women’s fashion magazines, film posters, and other popular illustrated press.[3] In her work Boring Dollies 1927-30, she portrays two women who encompass the ‘look’ of the ‘neue frau’ as the symbol of modern woman. The title “Boring Dollies” makes reference to the notion of women as ‘dolls’ in popular media, and ‘Boring’ in the sense that this kind of ideal new woman was what was supposed to be sold to women as unique, yet the icon of ‘neue frau’ was actually overwhelming at this time.[4]
The ‘New Frau’ heightened the visibility of women in the Weimar years with her ability to consume and to be consumed. Her androdgenous style and engagement in activities that used to be reserved to her male counterpart enabled women to take part in the pleasures that existed outside of the domestic sphere. While women were enjoying these new roles it was cause for anxiety in the gender roles and identities of many German citizens. The anxiety about gender and women becomes apparent in the work of Otto Dix. In his work Three Prostitutes on the Street c.1925, Dix portrays three women on the street in front of a shop window. None of the women would necessarily be identified as prostitutes simply by their dress or demeanor. The most sexualized figure is the woman furthest to the left of the image, and she happens to be the most modest in dress as well. She becomes sexualized through the symbolism, which Dix imposes on her. Her gaze is intense and suspicious as she clutches something pink and phallic in her hand. The object touches the fur collar of her coat, which alludes to female genitalia, and the motif of female genitalia is again repeated on her hat. Another detail of the painting that alludes to the anxiety of the perceived female domination is a leg wearing a high heel in the window display standing on a globe. By naming the piece Three Prostitutes on the Street Dix effectively renders all these women ‘deviant’ regardless of what their true occupations are.
The anxiety about sexuality and gender roles can also be seen played out in the work of Christian Schad. In Schad’s Graf St. Genois d’Anneaucourt c. 1927 the central figure, the Count of St. Genois d’Anneaucourt, stands between his mistress and one of Berlin’s famous transvestite performers.[5] The male figure directs his gaze at the viewer, while the countess and transvestite gaze at each other. The sexuality of all involved seems to be reflected in their dress. The “women” are sexuallly exposed while the count is fully dressed, or hidden. Yet still his figure overlaps the two women.
Open homosexuality was not uncommon in the Weimar years. Jeanne Mammen was an open lesbian artist during this time who used her art to center women in positions of both desired object and in roles of empowerment. In her work Redheaded Woman c. 1928, a woman is seated as a male hairdresser does her hair. She is prominent as the object of desire and independence- this is highlighted by her bright red lips and hair. Although they are close, the bodies of the male and female subjects never seem to touch. This woman seems unattainable.[6]
I will conclude with an artist that seemed to reflect another reality of the Weimar woman, one of modernity and maternity. Kate Diehn-Bitt Self-Portrait with Son c. 1930 combines the androgynous ‘neue frau’ style in conjunction with the fact that she is a mother holding the hand of her young son-an idea at the time that seemed to conflict with the notion of the ‘new woman’. The background setting is of trees and nature. The assertion of Diehn-Bitt seems to be that the modern woman can be professional and ‘natural’.[7]
[1] Amanda Wadsley, Domesticity and Dissent: The Role of Woman Artist in Germany 1918-1938(Leicestershire Museum Publication 1992) 22
[2] Masha Meskimmon, We Weren’t Modern Enough: Women Artist and the Limits of Greman Modernism (University of California Press, CA) 1999 p178-90
[3] Masha Meskimmon, We Weren’t Modern Enough: Women Artist and the Limits of Greman Modernism (University of California Press, CA) 1999 p183
[4] Masha Meskimmon, We Weren’t Modern Enough: Women Artist and the Limits of Greman Modernism (University of California Press, CA) 1999 p184
[5] Esther K. Bauer. "Penetrating Desire: Gender in the Field of Vision in Thomas Mann’s Der Zauberberg and Christian Schad’s Graf St. Genois d’Anneaucourt." Monatshefte 101, no. 4 (2009): 483-498. http://muse.jhu.edu/ (accessed October 23, 2012).
[6] Berlinische Galerie Museum of Modern Art “Jeanne Mammen (1890-1976) Redheaded Woman circa 1928” Accessed October 16, 2012. http://www.berlinischegalerie.de/en/collection/prints-and-drawings/highlights/jeanne-mammen.html
[7] Masha Meskimmon, We Weren’t Modern Enough: Women Artist and the Limits of Greman Modernism (University of California Press, CA) 1999 p235
The term ‘New Objectivity’ or ‘Neue Sachlichkeit’ was a term that originated by Gustav Hartlaub in an effort to compose an exhibition of art of representative works that were neither expressionistic nor abstract in nature. This new mode of representation reflected the post World War One realities of a new German society that was affected by political revolution, mass deaths, social change, poverty, and financial instability.[1]
Post-war Germany had to cope with the devastating loss of many of its men and with the horrors of the wounded and disabled veterans who did return. The identity of the German male was shaken and misplaced. Simultaneously women were thrust into new roles as financial providers and were becoming more prominent in public realms. The traditional social roles of women were being challenged as women became less confined to the role of mother, and sought greater equality to their male counterpart. This more independent woman would come to define a new generation in the Weimar years as ‘The New Woman’ or ‘Neue Frau’. The ‘New Woman’ was typified as a white-collar worker who enjoyed her new financial and sexual freedom and would engage in the spectacles of the metropolis and its wide variety of entertainment and nightlife. The new woman also became a symbol for cultural consumerism and was dominant in advertising campaigns, and almost all forms of popular media.[2] Jeanne Mammen was an artist who in addition to her personal work, created images for popular women’s fashion magazines, film posters, and other popular illustrated press.[3] In her work Boring Dollies 1927-30, she portrays two women who encompass the ‘look’ of the ‘neue frau’ as the symbol of modern woman. The title “Boring Dollies” makes reference to the notion of women as ‘dolls’ in popular media, and ‘Boring’ in the sense that this kind of ideal new woman was what was supposed to be sold to women as unique, yet the icon of ‘neue frau’ was actually overwhelming at this time.[4]
The ‘New Frau’ heightened the visibility of women in the Weimar years with her ability to consume and to be consumed. Her androdgenous style and engagement in activities that used to be reserved to her male counterpart enabled women to take part in the pleasures that existed outside of the domestic sphere. While women were enjoying these new roles it was cause for anxiety in the gender roles and identities of many German citizens. The anxiety about gender and women becomes apparent in the work of Otto Dix. In his work Three Prostitutes on the Street c.1925, Dix portrays three women on the street in front of a shop window. None of the women would necessarily be identified as prostitutes simply by their dress or demeanor. The most sexualized figure is the woman furthest to the left of the image, and she happens to be the most modest in dress as well. She becomes sexualized through the symbolism, which Dix imposes on her. Her gaze is intense and suspicious as she clutches something pink and phallic in her hand. The object touches the fur collar of her coat, which alludes to female genitalia, and the motif of female genitalia is again repeated on her hat. Another detail of the painting that alludes to the anxiety of the perceived female domination is a leg wearing a high heel in the window display standing on a globe. By naming the piece Three Prostitutes on the Street Dix effectively renders all these women ‘deviant’ regardless of what their true occupations are.
The anxiety about sexuality and gender roles can also be seen played out in the work of Christian Schad. In Schad’s Graf St. Genois d’Anneaucourt c. 1927 the central figure, the Count of St. Genois d’Anneaucourt, stands between his mistress and one of Berlin’s famous transvestite performers.[5] The male figure directs his gaze at the viewer, while the countess and transvestite gaze at each other. The sexuality of all involved seems to be reflected in their dress. The “women” are sexuallly exposed while the count is fully dressed, or hidden. Yet still his figure overlaps the two women.
Open homosexuality was not uncommon in the Weimar years. Jeanne Mammen was an open lesbian artist during this time who used her art to center women in positions of both desired object and in roles of empowerment. In her work Redheaded Woman c. 1928, a woman is seated as a male hairdresser does her hair. She is prominent as the object of desire and independence- this is highlighted by her bright red lips and hair. Although they are close, the bodies of the male and female subjects never seem to touch. This woman seems unattainable.[6]
I will conclude with an artist that seemed to reflect another reality of the Weimar woman, one of modernity and maternity. Kate Diehn-Bitt Self-Portrait with Son c. 1930 combines the androgynous ‘neue frau’ style in conjunction with the fact that she is a mother holding the hand of her young son-an idea at the time that seemed to conflict with the notion of the ‘new woman’. The background setting is of trees and nature. The assertion of Diehn-Bitt seems to be that the modern woman can be professional and ‘natural’.[7]
[1] Amanda Wadsley, Domesticity and Dissent: The Role of Woman Artist in Germany 1918-1938(Leicestershire Museum Publication 1992) 22
[2] Masha Meskimmon, We Weren’t Modern Enough: Women Artist and the Limits of Greman Modernism (University of California Press, CA) 1999 p178-90
[3] Masha Meskimmon, We Weren’t Modern Enough: Women Artist and the Limits of Greman Modernism (University of California Press, CA) 1999 p183
[4] Masha Meskimmon, We Weren’t Modern Enough: Women Artist and the Limits of Greman Modernism (University of California Press, CA) 1999 p184
[5] Esther K. Bauer. "Penetrating Desire: Gender in the Field of Vision in Thomas Mann’s Der Zauberberg and Christian Schad’s Graf St. Genois d’Anneaucourt." Monatshefte 101, no. 4 (2009): 483-498. http://muse.jhu.edu/ (accessed October 23, 2012).
[6] Berlinische Galerie Museum of Modern Art “Jeanne Mammen (1890-1976) Redheaded Woman circa 1928” Accessed October 16, 2012. http://www.berlinischegalerie.de/en/collection/prints-and-drawings/highlights/jeanne-mammen.html
[7] Masha Meskimmon, We Weren’t Modern Enough: Women Artist and the Limits of Greman Modernism (University of California Press, CA) 1999 p235